Sunday, 20 October 2013

Capturing Italy: A Journey in Five Colours

When the fabulous Bridgekeeping Traveller Mariella nominated me to take part in the Capture the Colour challenge, I knew exactly what I was going to do and I set off to Italy with my plans in mind. Of course, I have since realised that the challenge is an actual competition, the deadline of which I have long missed in my post-travel gloom. So here is my non-official and entirely for fun interpretation.

White

White would have to be the famous Duomo in Milan, the first city we visited in on our Italian tour. On that first afternoon in Milan, we emerged from the Metro onto the Piazza del Duomo and our breath was taken away by the Duomo looming above us. I immediately knew that this would be my choice for the colour white, even though I was surprised two days later to see the Duomo up close and discover that it is actually cream coloured not white.

Green

My original choice for green had been a beautiful late afternoon view of the river Adige as it winds around the city of Verona. The only problem was that while the photo itself was indeed beautiful, the piercing blue sky reflected off the water and the overall scene was more blue than green. I wasn’t too worried as this photo of Juliet’s balcony had been my second choice. I was most disappointed to learn that Shakespeare had not invented the story of Romeo and Juliet himself but greatly enjoyed visiting the supposed homes of Romeo and Juliet in Verona.

Blue

I loved this scene in Venice and there was no doubt in my mind that this would be my choice for the colour blue. We were blessed with excellent, sunny weather during our stay in Venice (and indeed, most of our stay in Italy).

Red

Burano was my favourite destination in our whole tour of Italy. This tiny little island off the coast of Venice is famous for its lace industry and colourful houses. I would love to return to Burano one day and spend an entire week or so but not surprisingly, there seem to be few, if any, hotels on the island and tourism is kept to a minimum.

Yellow

My enduring impression of Florence (or Firenze as I prefer to call it) is one of a golden city. This was the last city we visited on our trip and it was such a lovely place to spend our last couple of days. There was a lot to choose from for the colour yellow but ultimately I chose this photo of Florentine ceramics.

Italy is such an incredibly rich, beautiful and colourful country. I cannot wait to tell you more about it!